Dusty Grooves, Gathering at the Earl of Old Town
So, In the future I’d like to share some of the out of print records I have on my shelf, here is the first of these with a small note and a zip archive of the record at the end. Enjoy.
The Earl of Old Town was a bar in Chicago owned by a guy named Earl Pionke. Opened in 1961 on the site of an ex-Antique store on Wells St and North Ave, the bar didn’t start with idea of being a folk nightcub but eventually fell into the role. The Earl had music seven nights a week and was the place that gave a start to soon to be famous artists like Bonnie Koloc and John Prine.
This album is a set of live recordings from the Earl titled, ‘Gathering at the Earl of Old Town’, it was released on Drive Archive in 1970. The folky 70s seemed to be a time when you could call something a Gathering in full seriousness and people would willingly show up. It features performances by several Earl regulars, and marks the first appearance on record of Steve Goodman performing what would become arguably his most famous song City of New Orleans. Also on this, my favorite, are the four tracks by notable Chicago folk siblingry Fred and Ed Holstein. (more…)
Tags: Earl Of Old Town, Ed Holstein, Fred Holstein, Steve Goodman
